Advisors

Malin Nilsson is Secretary General of the Swedish section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, WILPF Sweden. In her work, she advocates for a gendered analysis of security politics and for women’s meaningful participation in the area of peace and security. By working together with women’s rights activists in conflict and post-conflict countries, WILPF has been able to create political will and capacity to address gendered aspects of disarmament and arms control. Malin is passionate about promoting

Nicholas B. Torretta is a PhD Candidate at Umeå Institute of Design. Nicholas' research interest is in democratizing social innovation for sustainability by levelling power structures in participatory processes. His focus is on anti-oppressive, respectful and decolonial approaches for participatory design processes. Originally from Brazil, Nicholas has worked with participatory design for sustainability in projects on solidarity economy, social development, social inclusion, education and immigration projects with various organizations, universities and governmental organizations such as the UN, RISE Interactive, UniSol,

Sandra Segall is an Advisor in Peace, Conflict, and Gender and currently works as an advisor and programme officer at the Swedish Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). She was previously seconded by Sida as an Associate Expert in Gender to the Colombian Office of the High Commissioner for Peace and the Organization of American State’s Special Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP-OAS). Sandra holds a Master of Science degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from Umeå University and

Dr Valli Pillai-Batchelor is an educator and creative artist with combined expertise in applied finance and intercultural arts. She advocates for economic justice, community health and multi stakeholder partnerships. Sustainable development, eradication of poverty, violence prevention, gender equality, diversity, cultural norms and faith-based issues are integral to her work. Her Australian doctorate research on interest-free banking and finance led to academic positions in 5 countries and invitations for contribution at international and ecumenical platforms - including UN Commission on Status of Women

Dr. Stellan Vinthagen is professor of sociology, a scholar-activist, and the Inaugural Endowed Chair in the Study of Nonviolent Direct Action and Civil Resistance at the University of Massachusetts. He is also editor of the Journal of Resistance Studies, co-editor of the Rowman & Littlefield book series on Resistance Studies, co-leader of the Resistance Studies Group at University of Gothenburg, Sweden and co-founder of the International Resistance Studies Network, as well as a council member of War Resisters International, and academic advisor to the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict

Ylva Löwenborg is an organisational consultant and a leader who drives system change at many levels. She does this by leveraging over 20 years of experience as a manager in civil society and the public and private sectors to coach organisations, groups and leaders to develop strategic partnerships and implement lasting change. Ylva is committed to human rights and diversity. Her work is rooted in theoretical and practical experience, allowing her to provide process-oriented coaching that supports empowerment, inclusion and

Isak Stoddard is a PhD candidate in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development at the Department of Earth Science, Uppsala University. His research is currently focused on the strategies and imaginaries informing regional climate and energy transitions within Sweden.  Over the past decade he has worked in various capacities at the student-initiated Centre for Environment and Development Studies (CEMUS) at the University of Uppsala and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. At CEMUS, his worked mainly focused on developing transdisciplinary approaches to higher education on a myriad

Kerstin Engström is a senior lecturer, researcher and consultant in media and communication, with special competence within the areas of gender analysis, journalism and communication for development and social change. She has extensive experience of working with education and research in higher education institutions, and is also experienced in academic leadership and management of higher education. Since many years, Kerstin is committed to international solidarity and gender equality. She has worked as a mentor in journalism and communication for the